Friday, September 30, 2005

Well what can i say? My head's in a mess, and worrying doesn't help because it never solved anything, but trying isn't enough because i'm simply too far away to do anything.

I'm on my final year of university education, the next term being my final. I've got a few more courses to clear in my final term, but guess what? The compulsory subject that i have no way around is not offered next term, so i end up finishing up next term with 1 paper short, and i can't do anything else to replace it because its compulsory. Its even more pissing off because its offered THIS term while i'm AWAY on exchange. Great, now i can't graduate.

Emailed Jason Chiam the subject co-ordinator. His replies were his usual short and curt - No, it is not offered in Term 2. It doesn't help that i can imagine that prick saying it to me with that air - acting like he owns the school, my soul, my existence and all.
Held back my disgust and asked if it would be offered during the Summer then. The usual - No, the course list of 2005/06 is available on LEO. Yes i know Oh Exalted One, i wouldn't be asking YOU if it had a listing for the courses available during Summer.

Emailed the only professor teaching it as well. Seems like a nice enough guy, very polite and sympathetic but offered the same answer for both Term 2 and Summer.

Doesn't help that the major i'm doing is still relatively small, and there is only one other girl who's possibly doing the same major who's also on exchange and hence a victim of this turn of events as well.
Not sure if she's as stuck in as i am, because i'm too deep in the bog to turn back and switch back to my Marketing major again, but sticking to my Ops Mgmt major forces me to wait a whole term for that ONE subject before i can graduate - a whole YEAR later than the batch of 2002, purely because Convocation is held only once a year and i will be missing the next one because of this fiasco.
Emailed her anyway, hopefully she's not in the same predicament as me, but if she is doubt it'll help either of us because knowing Jason Chiam he won't open another class, not even in Summer, not for 2 people he won't.

Jason Chiam obviously thinks otherwise, but i would think i am a victim of fate.
April 2005 Had my exchange to New Zealand approved
May 2005 Did up my paperwork for Auckland, accomodation, insurance, visa etc
June 2005 Course List for 2005/2006 is put up
My exchange had already been approved and you're all ready to go after all that paperwork, even if THEN i had fully realized that my graduation was at stake if i was unable to clear that damn paper, i would've thought alot of people might've still had an amazingly terrible time deciding whether to give up the once in a lifetime opportunity to go on exchange.

I came all the way to New Zealand to see the world, and most importantly, enjoy. Now that all this has happened New Zealand is no longer the guilt-free indulgence it originally was set out to be. Already knee deep in debt with the Study Loan, the recent fee hike, and now exchange, the extra 1 term of fees seems like an awful amount to bear for a simple mistake of deciding to go on exchange.

Sigh its depressing when you're cornered. Supply Chain Management isn't offered in Term 2, and that's that. No amount of emailing will change that. Sobbing and crying in front of Jason Chiam won't do any good either, nor am i capable of doing that had i thrown away my dignity because i am 9000km away from home (and to think i shook my head at the people before me who had done similar stunts). The professor can't offer it in Term 2 not because he doesn't want to but because he's doing a research paper at that time. The paper normally isn't offered in Summer, so there's still a small and very faint glimmer of hope there, despite what Jason Chiam has already said of its availability in Summer.
Some friends (Thank you Gwen, and thank you God for giving me the priviledge of knowing her) have suggested a few last gasps:
Both long shots, but i don't have much to lose do i? Anyone else have any other ideas?

When i landed all i could say was how beautiful New Zealand was.
Now, the beauty of New Zealand is nothing more than a tongue sticking out back at me saying
Enjoy what you can, you fucking moron

Dr@n|xX at 7:14 PM

Thursday, September 29, 2005

You remember when you were young how you wished you were a Superhero?
I certainly did, dreamt about having superhuman strength, super-speed or telekinetic powers all day and all night. I wanted to be a superhero all my childhood life.

I believe i've found my calling in life, and i can not only help people but i can develop superhuman powers as well.
I'm going to be a boring lecturer when i grow up.

I've always been fascinated at how boring lecturers develop superhuman abilities by being able to slow down time when they're delivering lectures, all this in the name of Education and grooming future leaders.

Boy, think of what you can do with all that extra time... :)

Dr@n|xX at 11:01 AM

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Talk about surreal.
I was watching "Saving Private Ryan" on tv the other day, and halfway Kilian joined me.
I assume most people already know that Saving Private Ryan is an award-winning movie set during the 2nd World War about a group of American soldiers who are sent to retrieve another American soldier because his 3 other brothers had died in action and that soldier therefore had earned his ticket home. Incidentally this show featured alot of blood, alot of gore and alot of vulgarities, alot of which were more often than not directed at German Nazi soldiers.

So picture this :
I'm watching a movie with people killing Germans while eating ice-cream with my German housemate.

I told him that that would be something to tell my grandchildren about, and he agreed saying bygones were bygones. So as a matter of fact it didn't feel awkward at all, as a matter of fact it enhanced the movie coz he actually did real time translations during the movie.
Not sure if anyone remembered the scene in Saving Private Ryan where this cowardly soldier did not have the guts to move from his spot and therefore give his comrades badly needed ammo, and they ended up dead, one of which had a very slow painful death as the knife was slowly pierced into his heart as his strength to keep the German soldier at bay waned. If anyone remembered that scene vividly like i did, they would probably also remember the German soldier who was laying his weight down on the American soldier pinned below was hissing unintelligable taunts at the hapless soldier, and why i say watching the movie with Kilian enhanced that scene was because the soldier was actually saying:
"Give it up. You cannot win. It will be less painful this way, trust me, you'll see."

Kilian also mentioned it was much more fun watching Saving Private Ryan here in New Zealand despite already having watched it before because when he watched it back in Germany, it didn't feel authentic because the movie had been dubbed into German, so it was particularly revolting to hear supposedly American soldiers in the movie yelling anti-German remarks in German. I pondered on this because i had taken for granted that movies were the way they were because in Malaysia and Singapore movies were rarely dubbed.
I suddenly feel very lucky because of that, since i very vividly remembered what Shivram told me about the horrors of watching Spiderman 2 that was dubbed into Tamil, where at times what the character said in the movie in English had to be translated into a far longer sentence in Tamil, resulting in that character talking into another scene where another character's mouth had already started moving in reply.
I miss the cheap movies in Singapore, yes cheap despite the price increase, compared to NZ anyway where a weekend ticket is NZ$14.50, which is about S$17.50, or worst still, i miss the even CHEAPER movies in JB =/ both the big screen and the CDs *snigger*

Dr@n|xX at 2:22 PM

Friday, September 16, 2005

Lots of cars in JB in particular border on insane to say the least. I used to think if they released furry bonnets the upstanding car-fashion-divas of JB would come up with neon glowing ones.
One of the most memorable was a totally PINK Kenari with bodykits so low it prevents stray dogs from taking shelter underneath. The upholstery was pink, and the rim bolts were pink as well. I swear if the owner could have pink tyres he'd have it. We'd think it'd be a girl driving it, probably a sweet gift from her boyfriend, lo and behold no it was a GUY driving it. If my gf like such a car i might've done the same, but i'd NEVER step foot into that car, much less drive it. But what took the cake was the exhaust pipe, it was the size of a Milo gong (read: tin, the 1 litre one) AND it was in the shape of a heart.

I was mooching around waiting for the Pro Evolution Soccer 5 demo to finish downloading and i clicked around and found myself a gem of laughter.
I never was too head-over-my-heels about Kenny Sia but i will agree he does have his funny bits, and this is one.
Enjoy.

Worth honourable mention is this as well, as i commend his tenacity to compile such a list.

Dr@n|xX at 10:48 PM

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Wahaha i'm back from my mid-semester break!
School officially started yesterday but heck i'm still trying to ease myself back into a study mood, especially since i only attended 1 out of 4 classes yesterday, and i'm recording a perfect miss today heh *sheepish grin*

Well now that i've tried so many things, the world is no longer the same anymore lol
There was (in no particular order) snowboarding at Mount Ruapehu: Then there was white-water rafting:
And there was the mountain luge:
Zorbing was good wet fun too:And who can forget SKY-DIVING:Unfortunately there were SO many other things that just simply cannot be conveyed by pictures. Sigh... i can't believe school's started already...

Dr@n|xX at 8:02 AM